# Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico Transportation: Turquoise Care Ride Rules and MTM Health Trips

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/blue-cross-blue-shield-new-mexico/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico transportation gives Turquoise Care members free rides to covered care when they have no other way there. Members book 3 working days to 2 weeks ahead at 1-866-913-4342. Modivcare arranges the rides through October 31, 2026, and MTM Health from November 1, so a van company needs MTM's network, NMDOT authority, and HCA enrollment.

- From November 1, 2026, MTM Health arranges every BCBSNM Turquoise Care ride, including recurring trips booked before the switch.
- BCBSNM told members on August 27, 2026 that the ride benefit itself is not changing, only the company that schedules and provides the rides.
- A shared BCBSNM ride may add no more than 45 minutes, and a scheduled return pickup is due within 30 minutes.
- Rides to a primary care office are capped at 30, 45, or 60 miles, depending on whether the member lives in an urban, rural, or frontier county.
- BCBSNM does not cover pharmacy trips, except one ride within seven days of release from jail or prison.

## Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico rides at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Ride vendor | Modivcare through October 31, 2026. MTM Health from November 1, 2026, taking over recurring trips and trips already booked. |
| Booking line | 1-866-913-4342 (TTY 1-866-288-3133), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain. The plan gives the same number for MTM Health from November 1. |
| Ride Assist | 1-866-418-9829, 24 hours a day, for rides home, discharges, and late rides. From November 1 it also helps members book with MTM. |
| Booking notice | 3 working days to 2 weeks before a routine or behavioral health visit. A same-day urgent ride may take up to four hours to arrive. |
| Return pickup | Within 30 minutes of a scheduled return time, or within 90 minutes of the member's call when no time was set |
| Driver wait | Five minutes in the 2026 member handbook. Members cancel at least two hours before pickup. |
| Primary care distance | 30 miles in urban counties, 45 in rural counties, and 60 in frontier counties. A farther primary care office needs BCBSNM's authorization. |
| Long trips | Over 120 miles from the home community, a written note from the referring or treating provider, renewed every 12 months for ongoing care |
| Not covered | Rides to a pharmacy or medical supply store, except one trip within seven days of release from jail or prison |
| How to get the trips | An NMDOT certificate and tariff, enrollment with HCA at YES.NM.GOV, and an agreement with MTM Health for trips from November 1, 2026 |

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico (BCBSNM), a division of Health Care Service Corporation, is one of the four Turquoise Care health plans that cover New Mexico Medicaid members. It sends its ride benefit to one vendor: Modivcare through October 31, 2026, and MTM Health from November 1, 2026. The switch, with its dates and close-out steps, is covered in [BCBSNM's move to MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/news/bcbsnm-mtm-transition/). This page covers the plan's own ride rules and what they mean for the trips you run. BCBSNM's member notice of August 27, 2026 says the ride benefit itself is not changing. New Mexico's certificate, tariff, and enrollment steps are in the [New Mexico guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/new-mexico/).

## How BCBSNM members book rides

BCBSNM members book on 1-866-913-4342 (TTY 1-866-288-3133), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain, closed weekends and holidays. The plan's provider notice, updated September 9, 2026, gives that same number for MTM Health from November 1, along with an MTM web account and the MTM Link Member app. The plan's 2026 member handbook, its ride page, and its 2024 transportation FAQ set these booking rules:

- **Routine and behavioral health visits.** Book at least three working days and no more than two weeks (10 working days) ahead. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are not working days, and a late request may be denied.
- **Same-day rides.** Only for urgent needs, such as a hospital discharge or a visit the provider calls urgent. The vendor calls the provider to confirm first, and the handbook warns the ride may take up to four hours to arrive.
- **Bus passes.** Members who live where transit runs may get a pass instead, requested four working days ahead.
- **Ride Assist.** 1-866-418-9829, 24 hours a day, for a ride home, a discharge, or a ride running late. From November 1, BCBSNM says it also helps members schedule with MTM.

BCBSNM's transportation FAQ of July 3, 2024 lets more than the member book. A member 18 or older, a relative, a legal guardian, an authorized representative such as the member's medical or behavioral health provider, and a BCBSNM case manager or care coordinator can all request a ride.

## Ride rules your drivers work under

These standards come from BCBSNM's member handbook and ride page, both written while Modivcare ran the benefit. BCBSNM says the benefit carries over to MTM unchanged, so expect them on MTM trips too, and ask MTM for its New Mexico trip standards in writing.

- **Five-minute wait.** The handbook tells members drivers wait only five minutes, because they have other riders to carry.
- **Cancellations.** Members must cancel at least two hours before the pickup time.
- **Rides home.** A return booked for a set time should arrive within 30 minutes of it. When no time was set, the member calls Ride Assist and the driver should come within 90 minutes of the call.
- **Shared rides.** Riding with other members may add no more than 45 minutes to a member's trip compared with riding straight there.
- **Children.** Under the 2024 FAQ, a child under 13 needs an adult attendant, a child 13 to 16 may ride alone only with a release signed by a parent or legal guardian, and a 17-year-old may ride alone.
- **Equipment.** Members bring their own wheelchair and other medical equipment. Special needs are noted at booking, and the handbook says a driver trained in CPR is sent when needed.
- **No copay.** Members are told to refuse to pay if a driver asks for a copay.

The attendant rule is narrow. BCBSNM covers one attendant when the member is under 18 and rides with a parent or legal guardian, or when the member's provider puts the medical need in writing, in which case the attendant must be at least 18. Anyone else, including the member's other children, is not covered, but the ride page lets a single caregiver of more than one minor child ask Member Services to approve the other children when the ride is booked. Ask the vendor how approved extra riders appear on your trip so your driver can tell who belongs in the van.

## Where BCBSNM rides can go

BCBSNM caps rides to a member's primary care provider (PCP) by the type of county the member lives in. Its 2026 member handbook and its Medicaid provider reference manual, posted July 2026, list the same limits:

| County type | Counties | Farthest PCP for a covered ride |
|---|---|---|
| Urban | Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Los Alamos, Santa Fe | 30 miles |
| Rural | Chaves, Curry, Eddy, Grant, Lea, Luna, McKinley, Otero, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, Sandoval, San Juan, Taos, Valencia | 45 miles |
| Frontier | Catron, Cibola, Colfax, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Union | 60 miles |

A member who picks a PCP farther away gets no rides there without BCBSNM's special authorization, and may be asked to choose a closer PCP. Other trips follow these rules:

- **Over 120 miles.** A member traveling more than 120 miles one way needs a written note from the referring provider or the service provider, plus a note from the provider visited saying the care is not available in the home community. The 2024 FAQ says the reason must reach BCBSNM and the vendor in writing before the ride is booked. New Mexico's rule 8.324.7.15(B), amended September 1, 2026, makes the transportation provider keep that verification in its billing records and renew it every 12 months for ongoing care.
- **Out-of-network providers.** The member calls BCBSNM Care Coordination at 1-877-232-5518 first and gets a confirmation number, which the vendor checks with BCBSNM before booking. Approval for the visit itself does not cover the ride.
- **Across the border.** BCBSNM contracts with providers along the state's borders in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, and 8.324.7.14(C) treats cities within 100 miles of the New Mexico border, not counting Mexico, as in-state. Travel farther out of state needs prior authorization.
- **Nursing homes.** The FAQ covers rides from a member's home to a nursing home, and from a nursing home to an approved appointment and back.
- **Family therapy.** A family member's ride to counseling, behavioral health treatment, or a residential treatment center is covered with prior approval when it is part of the member's treatment plan.

### What BCBSNM does not cover

The handbook excludes rides for non-medical needs and rides to a pharmacy or a medical supply store, and the plan does not pay a driver to deliver prescriptions. New Mexico's Medicaid rule 8.324.7.13(D), amended September 1, 2026, also bars pharmacy trips. The one exception is a member released from jail or prison with a current, unfilled prescription: one trip within seven days of release, to the pharmacy and then home, within the city limits of the pickup.

### Mileage, meals, and lodging for members

Members who drive themselves, or have a friend or relative drive, can be repaid for mileage. As of October 2026, BCBSNM's ride page pays 50 cents a mile for a trip under 120 miles that the vendor approved in advance. The provider's office signs the member's form, and the member sends it within 60 days of the visit. Each trip repaid this way is one a van does not run.

For long trips, BCBSNM pays meals when a member is away from home eight hours or more, up to $22.92 a day on its ride page (the 2026 handbook still says $18). Lodging is covered when a trip takes more than four hours one way and an overnight stay is medically necessary: up to $58 a weeknight in New Mexico and $81 on weekends or out of state. Each needs approval three working days ahead.

## How a van company gets BCBSNM trips

From November 1, 2026, BCBSNM rides come only from MTM Health. MTM's join page lists six steps, from the provider application and an interview through contracting, credentialing, and training to a first trip, and says its system holds back trips from any provider whose credentials have lapsed. The [MTM Health guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) covers its insurance, driver, and billing rules.

Two New Mexico steps come before any plan trip, and the [New Mexico guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/new-mexico/) explains both: a non-emergency medical transport certificate and approved tariff from the NMDOT Transportation Regulation Bureau, and enrollment with the Health Care Authority at YES.NM.GOV. BCBSNM's April 29, 2026 notice set a July 1, 2026 deadline for every provider billing Turquoise Care services to register with HCA, said each NPI must be registered, and said HCA requires enrollment for any Medicaid payment, whatever a provider's network status.

Your MTM agreement sets what BCBSNM trips pay. As a yardstick, HCA's fee-for-service schedule effective January 1, 2025 pays $1.78 a loaded mile for a wheelchair van (A0130) and $2.06 a mile for a taxi (A0100), up to $300 per one-way trip.

Trips before November 1 stay Modivcare trips, billed under your Modivcare agreement. That agreement still brings Presbyterian Health Plan rides, since Presbyterian's ride page names Modivcare as of October 2026. The [broker transition checklist](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-transition/) covers closing out the old broker, and the [Modivcare guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) covers its other 2026 changes.

## Who to call

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Booking a member's ride | 1-866-913-4342 (TTY 1-866-288-3133), weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain |
| Rides home, discharges, late rides | Ride Assist, 1-866-418-9829, 24 hours a day |
| Out-of-network ride approval | BCBSNM Care Coordination, 1-877-232-5518 |
| Benefit questions | BCBSNM Member Services, 1-866-689-1523 (TTY 711) |
| Joining for trips from November 1 | MTM Health, mtm-inc.net/driverswanted |
| Medicaid enrollment | HCA, YES.NM.GOV |
| Questions about the switch | Your BCBSNM provider relations representative, as the plan's notice directs |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico transportation phone number?

Members book at 1-866-913-4342 (TTY 1-866-288-3133), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain. BCBSNM's provider notice gives the same number for MTM Health from November 1, 2026. Ride Assist, 1-866-418-9829, answers 24 hours a day for rides home, discharges, and late rides. Benefit questions go to Member Services at 1-866-689-1523 (TTY 711).

### Is Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico changing its transportation company?

Yes. BCBSNM moves its Medicaid rides from Modivcare to MTM Health on November 1, 2026, under a notice dated July 15, 2026 and updated September 9, 2026. Recurring trips and trips already booked for after that date go to MTM with nothing for members to do. The plan's August 27, 2026 member notice says the benefit itself is not changing.

### How far ahead do BCBSNM members have to book a ride?

At least three working days and no more than two weeks (10 working days) before a routine or behavioral health visit. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are not working days. A bus pass needs four working days. Same-day rides are for urgent needs such as discharges, and the vendor calls the provider to confirm first.

### Does BCBSNM Turquoise Care cover rides to the pharmacy?

No. BCBSNM's 2026 member handbook excludes rides to a pharmacy or a medical supply store, and New Mexico rule 8.324.7.13(D), amended September 1, 2026, bars Medicaid pharmacy trips. The one exception is a member just released from jail or prison, who gets one trip within seven days to fill a current prescription and then go home within the same city.

### How do I become a transportation provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico?

Join MTM Health's network, because MTM arranges BCBSNM rides from November 1, 2026. You also need your NMDOT non-emergency medical transport certificate and approved tariff, and enroll with the Health Care Authority at YES.NM.GOV. BCBSNM's April 29, 2026 notice says HCA requires that enrollment for any Medicaid payment, whatever your network status.

### Can a BCBSNM member bring someone on the ride?

One attendant can ride when the member is under 18 and the attendant is a parent or legal guardian, or when the member's provider states in writing that an attendant is medically necessary, in which case the attendant must be at least 18. Other riders, including the member's other children, are not covered, although a single caregiver of more than one minor child can ask Member Services to approve the other children when the ride is booked.

## Official resources

- [Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico: Turquoise Care transportation services](https://www.bcbsnm.com/turquoise-care/benefits-and-coverage/transportation)
- [Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico: Turquoise Care member handbook](https://www.bcbsnm.com/turquoise-care/pdf/tc-member-handbook-nm.pdf)
- [Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico: Medicaid provider reference manual](https://www.bcbsnm.com/docs/provider/nm/medicaid-prm.pdf)
- [Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico: MTM Health notice for providers](https://www.bcbsnm.com/provider/education-reference/education/news/2026/7-15-2026-well-have-a-new-medical-transportation-provider-for-medicaid-members)
- [MTM Health: Join our network](https://www.mtm-inc.net/driverswanted/)
- [New Mexico Health Care Authority: Provider enrollment at YES.NM.GOV](https://www.hca.nm.gov/new-provider-ped-enrollment-system/)
- [New Mexico Health Care Authority: 8.324.7 NMAC, Transportation Services and Lodging](https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/8.324.7-NMAC-Transportation-Svcs-and-Lodging.pdf)
- [NMDOT Transportation Regulation Bureau: Non-emergency medical transport companies and tariffs](https://www.dot.nm.gov/trb/non-emergency-medical-transport/)